Adjustable automatically-controlled strip-feeding mechanism



P 1929- B. RISCHNEIDER ET A1. 1,728,908

ADJUSTABLE AUTOMATICALLY CONTROLLED STRIP FEEDING MECHANISM Filed June so, 1927 5 Sheets-Sheet 1 P 1929- B. R. SCHNEIDER El AL 1,728,90 8

ADJUSTABLE AUTOMATICALLY CONTROLLED STRIP FEEDING MECHANISM Filed June so) 1927 s Sheets-Sheet 2 II III/11$ 1.3. 4r. 13

A i r m: //Am\\\\\\* Sept. 17, 1929. R sgHNElDER ET AL 1,728,908

ADJUSTABLE AUTOMATICALLY CONTROLLED STRIP FEEDING MECHANISM Filed June 50, 1927 5 Sheets-Sheet 3 B A s F x l 0 13 e2 so lNVENTOR Patented Sept. 17, 1929 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE BERNARD R. SCHNEIDER, OF LYNDHURST, NEW JERSEY, AND ARTHUR H. WICK- W'IRE, JR., OF BROOKLYN, NEW YORK,

ASSIGNORS TO PEERLESS ROLL LEAF ('30.,

INC., 01? NEW YORK, N. Y., A CORPORATION OF NEW YORK ADJUSTABLE AUTOMATICALLY-CONTROLLED STRIP-FEEDING MECHANISM Application filed June 30,

Our invention relates to printing or impression machines for applying indicia or ornamental designs to book covers or other sheets, by means of a die, or dies, and a strip 5 or strips having a metallic or other coating, interposed between the dies and the sheet to be imprinted. When the impression is made, portions of the coating corresponding to the raised pattern of the dies are transferred to the book cover or other sheet, and the coated strip or strips are therefore advanced at sometime after each impression and before the next one, to present a fresh coated surface for the new impression.

Printing or impressing machines suitable for this work have heretofore been provided with automatic sheet-feeding means, for depositing single covers or other sheets to be decorated, successively upon the platen, which is positioned in proper relation to the dies to make the impression, and such machines have also been provided with means by which, upon failure of such automatic means to properly feed a sheet, the relative approach of the dies and platen is prevented or limited, to prevent contact of the coated strip with the platen, and thus to avoid application of the coating to the platen. In such machines, however, the strip-advancing mechanism is to actuated at every impressiolraction of the machine, so that in absence of a. sheet in proper position upon the platen to receive the impression, a corresponding length of the coated strip or strips is wasted, this waste amounting to a substantial money loss in any considerable run.

The principal object of the invention is to avoid such loss by providing means for omit ting the feeding of the coated impression at) strip or strips whenever there is a failure to properly feed orplace a sheet to be impressed upon the platen; or otherwise stated, in carrying out this object, means are provided by which the strips are properly fed whenever, and only when, a sheet is properly fed from the sheet-stack for deposit upon the platen.

Another object is to coordinate or combine the strip-feed-controlling means with the mechanism which controls the relative apfi proach of the die and platen, so that the same 1927. Serial No. 202,551.

sheet-feed detecting and controlling mechanism which acts to prevent an impression contact in absence of a sheet upon the platen, is effective to control the strip-feed for the purpose above explained.

A further object is to improve the construction or arrangement of automatic feed-controlling mechanism of this class, in various ways, as sufficiently referred to below.

The characteristics and advantages of the invention are further sufliciently explained in connection with the following detailed. de scription of the accompanying drawings, which show one exemplifying embodiment of the invent-ion. After considering this example, skilled persons will understand that many variations may be made within the principles of the invention, and we contemplate the employment of any structures that are properly within the scope of the appended claims.

In the drawings:

Fig. 1 is a side elevation of a press of one type suitable for the present operations, and incorporating the invention in one preferred form. The invention is not, however, limited in its broader applications, to presses of this particular type.

Fig. 2 is a section at 22, Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is a section at 33, Fig. 1.

Fig. 4 is'a section detail in the plane 44, Fig. 3, of the strip-feed mechanism.

Fig. 5 is a detail, in section at the plane 5-5, Fig. 1.

Fig. 6 is a detail, in section, in a transverse plane of their shafts, of the strip-feed and take-up rolls.

Fig. 7 is a side elevation, similar to Fig. 1, but with certain parts omitted or shown in dotted lines, for explanatory purposes.

The machine shown is of the platen type, having a swinging platen and an oscillatin die-frame, and the inventionis well-adapte for application to or incorporation in such machines, although it is also adapted, or adaptable, to printing or impression machines of other types.

The main frame 1 includes side-uprights 2 in which a shaft 3 is journalled. On one end of this shaft is a flywheel 4. The platen 5 is mounted for oscillation on the center 6. The stack S of sheets or blanks (such as bookcovers etc.) is supported on a base 7, 7) adjacent the rear edge of the platen when the latter is in upward or retracted position.

In properly timed relation to the platen movement, a suction head 8, apertured for su'ctional engagement with the forward margin of the top sheet in the stack, is lifted. to raise the forward edge of the sheet, in position for engagement by grippers (not shown) which transfer the sheet to the platen.

an articulated air conduit 9 is provided, to exhaust air from the suction head, asuitable exhauster and means for controlling application of suction being also provided. From the suction head another, flexible, air pipe 10 runs to a cylinder 11 in which is a piston 19. connected to a pivoted trigger 13, the toe 1 1 of which cooperates with a notch 1.5 or an adjacent shoulder 1601? a floating lever 17. This lever has a roll 18 running onthe perimeter of a disk It.) provided with a cam 20. The roll-end of the lever is urged toward the wheel by a s nking 21; the other end of the lever is yield ably supported by a spring 22, and the lever is guided by a stud .23 passing through a slot therein and enin a liXed frame member. In a clevis 2 1 in the on d of lever 17 remote from the camroll is located the upper end of a link 25.

The mechanism just described acts, in cooperation with other parts, as later described,

to control the impression contact of the die v and platen.

The die or dies 30 are secured on a vertical inward face of the die carrier, or frame 31, mounted to oscillate on a shaft 32 in the base of the main frame. The die frame is oscillated by pitmen connected to crank pins 34 on discs 19, one of which carries cam 20,

above mentioned. The discs are mounted on opposite ends of a shaft 19. The other ends of the pit-men are connected to the frame 31 by eccentric-mechanism including a shaft 35 journalled for rotation in the die carrier frame members 31, and provided on its ends with eccentric trunnions 3G to which the pitmen 33 are connected. An arm 37 fixed on shaft 35 is connected by a link 38 to one arm I 39 of a bell crank mounted on a shaft 10, the

at 49 on the main frame, and has its handle located convenient to the press-operator. Vhenever for any reason it is desired to avoid impression contact of the platen and die, the handle of lever 48 may be moved to the left (Fig. 1), and thus through the links and bell-crank connections, the eccentric 36 is angularly repositioned, and during the ensuing advance of the die frame the eccentrics are so rotated in relation to the die frame by link 38, that in effect the length of pitmen 33 is increased, and the die faces, and the coated strips thereon will closely approach, but not contact with the platen. When the lever is restored to normal position, as shown in Fig. 1, the eccentrics are so positioned that in each advance of the die frame the coated strips are brought in contact with the sheet on the platen, and the die-configurations imprint the coating from the strip upon the sheet.

Provision is also made for automatic actuation of the lever 48 and the described linkage, upon failure of the sheet feed mechanism to properly feed a sheet to the platen, under control of the pneumatic detector, and associated mechanism, including link 25," above referred to. For this purpose a sleeve 50 is pivotally mounted at the lower end of lever 4-8, independent of its connection to link 47. A rod 51 is arranged to reciprocate through this sleeve, and the other end of this rod is connected to one of the eccentrics 36.

Sleeve 50 has a right-angled tubular extension 52 in which is a spring-pressed plunger 53 the inner end of which is adapted to cooperate with a notch 54 in rod 51; The plunger is arranged for retraction in certain cases by a fork 55 engaging a pin on the plunger, this fork being pivoted at 56 in ex tension 52 and having an arm 57. A rod 58 is connected adjustably, at one end, to the lower end of link 25 above mentioned, adjustment being afforded by nuts 59. The other end. of rod 58 is secured in a lug 60, carried by a hub 61 rotatably mounted on shaft 415. A trip-block 62 is slidably mounted on rod 58,and secured in adjusted position by a set-screw 63, and the block has a lug 6 1 normally positioned to engage the end. of arm 57.

Thus in every forward movement of the die carrier, if the sheets in stack (S) are in proper condition and a sheet is properly engaged and its front edge lifted by the suction head 8, which is elevated in properly timed relation for the transfer of the sheet to the platen which locates the sheet in question to receive an impression by the stated forward movement of the dies, the proper adhesion of the sheet to the suction head produces suction (low pressure) in the pipe connection 10 and in cylinder 11, whose piston 12 is thus drawn upward and the trigger bell crank 13 is positioned as shown in Fig. 7 so that its toe 14. is located in notch 15 of the lever 17 which is oscillated in properly timed relation to the sheet feed and die carrier movements. Under the stated conditions the upward movement of the end of the lever carrying the roll 18 merely produces compression of the spring 21 and is ineffective to move the rear (right hand) end of the lever as viewed in Fig. 7. Therefore no movement is imparted to the link or rod 58 and the stop or lug .641 carried by the rod remains in position against the end. of the trip arm 57, thus withdrawing plunger 53 from the rod-notch, and in effect disconnecting the rod from sleeve and the lever. Rod 51, connected to eccentric 36, is moved angularly downward as viewed in Figs. 1 and 7 and being disconnected from sleeve 50 in the manner just explained, the rod slides freely through the sleeve, and the lever and its connected linkage are not moved, the link 38 which controls the eccentric shaft remains in normal position, and at the end of its forward stroke the die produces an impression of the coated strips upon the sheet on the platen. In the return of the die carrier, rod 51 is slid back through sleeve 50, and so long as proper sheet feed continues, the stated operations are repeated indefinitely.

If however, there is a failure by the suction head 8 to properly lift a sheet, such failure being caused for example by a crumpled or folded, or other defective sheet, the non-adherence of the sheet to any portion of the suction head will permit entry of air thereto and to the pipe 10, and the suction on piston 12 is therefore broken and it is depressed by a spring (not shown), and rotates the trigger bell crank 13 so that its toe 17 is positioned above the shoulder 16 of lever 17, the left-hand end of the lever being at that time of course depressed by location of the roll 18 in the space or valley of the cam disk between the ends of the cam 20. Therefore in the rotation ofdisk 19, when an end of the cam strikes the roll 18 and elevates it, the upward movement of the lever is blocked by trigger toe 14 overlying shoulder 16, and the lever then fulcrums at this point; its right-hand end 7) is moved downward with accompanying elongation of spring 22, link 25 and rod 58 drop by gravity, and lug 64 carried by rod 58 is moved down, away from the end of arm 57, and the end of plunger 53 thereupon engages rod 51 ready to enter the notch therein and lock the rod to sleeve 50 at the first slight downward movement of the rod. Therefore in the first small part of the die carrier advance movement rod 51 is locked to sleeve 50 and the lower end of the lever, and during the further advance of the die carrier the lever and its connected linkage is moved to reposition the eccentric shaft so that in effect the pitmen 33 are lengthened, and at the end of the advance movement of the die carrier the coated strips are brought close to the platen but not in contact therewith and therefore a useless impression of the coating upon the platen is avoided. However, in such machines as heretofore drawn over the faces of the dies from rolls.

or reels 71 (see Figs. 1 and 6) by feed rolls 72 carried by shafts 73Wl1lCl1 are revolubly mounted in frame members 7 1 of the strip feed mechanism. On the shafts are gears 75, connected to the shafts by suitable roller clutches 7 6 as sufficiently represented in Fig. 6, and the gears are connected by an intermediate pinion 77. One of the gears 75 is driven through an idler 78 by primary driving gear 79. Heretofore in machines of this class the feed rolls have been actuated at each forward movement of the die carrier, to advance the strips, regardless of whether or not an impression contact was made prior to such die return movement and of course in absence of an impression contact the amount of coated strip so advanced was wasted, this waste being very considerable in any long run. In such previous practice there was a permanent train of connections from some driving member such as the gear 79 to the means for driving it such as the rack and gear arrangement later described in detail.

The principal object of the present invention is to avoid the wastage of the coated strip above referred to by providing means for automatically disconnecting, or for omitting a strip feed action whenever an impression 1 contact is omitted; and for that purpose in the present embodiment of the invention a clutch is interposed in the strip feed mechanism and conveniently this clutch may be associated With gear 79 in the following manner:

The gear is arranged for free rotation on a shaft 80 and is provided with clutch iaws 81 to cooperate with similar awe of a shift able clutch member 82 splined on shaft 80. Clutch 82 has an annular groove engaged by a shifting fork 84: carried by rod 85 mounted for reciprocation in the frame members 74, normally urged to clutch-engaged position by spring 86, and provided at one end with a. rack 87 engaged by a gear sector 88 on a vertical shaft 89 (Figs. 1 and 3). Shaft 80 is rotated in every advance of the die carrier by a gear 90 on one of its ends, enclosed in a housing 91 which also provides a guide 92 in which a rack bar 93 reciprocates with its teeth in engagement with the gear. The lower end of the rack bar is pivotally and adjustably connected at 94 in the slot 95 of a bar 96 secured in fixed position on the main frame.

Thus in each advance movement of the die carrier the'rack bar slides through its guide and rotates shaft 80 and as above stated, in previous machines of this type this initial driving impulse caused corresponding rotation of the feed rolls, whether or not an impression contact had been produced at the last-previous advance of the dies.

Such invariable propulsion of the feed rolls was obtained, for example, by mounting the gear 79 rigidly on its shaft 80 instead of providing for clutch-connection of the gear to the shaft as above explained, in the present physical embodiment of the invention.

The clutch is actuated to cause avoidance of strip feed action whenever impression contact is omitted, in the following way:

Shaft 89 above referred to is mounted in bearings 100, and at its lower end is provided with an arm 101 (Figs. 1 and 2) bearing a cam roll 102 engaging a face cam 103 formed on a sector 104, the hub 105 of which is secured to shaft 35. Arm 101 is operatively integral with another arm 106, the end of which has a bevelled face 107, see Fig. 5, to cooperate with the beveled upper end 108 of a plunger 109, while a squared or vertical face 110 of the arm cooperates with the straight or vertical plunger face 111. The plunger is mounted in a socket 112 and urged upward by a spring 113, and is retracted at the proper time by pin 114 engaging in a slot in the plunger stem and carried by one arm of a bell crank 115, fulcrumed at 116 and having its other arm connected to a push-rod 117, the end of which remote from the bell crank is supported and guided by slot 118 running on a stud 119 inserted in a side face of the die carrier. The end of push-rod 117 cooperates with the end of a screw 120 inserted in a bracket 121 on the platen 5, and secured in ad'usted position by a lock nut 122.

nder normal conditions, that is to say when sheets are properly supplied to the platen, and the lever 48 and associated mechanism remains in normal. position as shown in the drawings during the die carrier stroke corresponding to the stated sheet feed action, and an impression contact is therefore produced at the end of the die carrier movement, the rotation of eccentric shaft 35 in relation to the die carrier, which is determined by the normal position of link 38, is not sufficient to bring cam roll 102 in contact with the rise of cam 103. Clutch 82 therefore remains in engaged position as shown in Fig. 3, being so held by spring 86, and strip feed is effected in the normal manner upon the advance of the die carrier. But in case of a skip in the sheet feed and ensuing repositioning of link 38 in the manner previously explained, in the corresponding advance of the die car rier the eccentric shaft is rotated in relation to the die carrier so that near the end of the stated movement the rise of cam 103 engages with cam roll 102, and thereupon arm 101 is oscillated, rock shaft 89 is rotated, and by the gear sector 88, shifter rod 85 is moved to the right (Fig. 3) disconnecting the clutch, just after completion of the strip-feed movement. Therefore while during the stated die carrier advance the coated strip was advanced as usual, ready for an impression, no impression was made because a sheet had not been fed to the platen and the positioning of the eccentric shaft resulting from failure to feed the sheet and which acted at the end of the die carrier advance to withdraw the strip-feed clutch, was also effective to prevent impression contact of the strip with the platen. The strip or strips so fed therefore remain in position ready for the next impression, and the purpose of withdrawing the strip feed clutch at the end of the stated die carrier advance is to avoid a strip-feed action during the next ensuing advance of the die carrier. The means acting as above explained to retain the strip-feed clutch in released or inactive position, is necessary because shortly after the die carrier starts upon its return movement cam roller 102 is released from the rise of cam 103 and without such retaining means the strip-feed clutch would again engage. The clutch is so held'in disengaged position to the end of the die carrier return stroke and during the next ensuing advance. If during the advance a sheet is properly fed to the platen, the sheetfeed detector returns to normal condition; that is to say, trigger toe 14 is moved away from shoulder 16 into cooperation with notch 15, and the right hand end of lever 17 (as viewed in Fig. 7) remains in elevated position, holding rod 58 in its upward position as shown in Fig. 7 with lugs 64 in the path of the end of arm 57. This repositioning of lug 64 occurs just before the lever returns to normal position in the last return'movement of the die carrier, and at the end of such movement arm 57 engages the lug and releases plunger 53 from the notch of rod 51. Therefore in the ensuing advance of the die carrier with the strips in proper position for an impression, and the strip-feed clutch held in disengaged position as above stated, there is no actuation of the lever and its connected mechanism, the rod51 sliding freely through sleeve 50, and there is no sufficient movement of the eccentric shaft in relation to the die carrier to bring the rise of the cam 103 into engagement with cam roll 102. At the end of the stated stroke the impression is produced and at the same time the end of push rod 117 engages the end of screw 120'; the push rod is moved backward in relation to the die carrier, bell crank 115 is oscillated, withdrawing plunger 109 from engagement with the squared face 110 of the arm 106, and the clutch shifting rod 85 is thereupon free to return the clutch to engaged position under impulse of spring 86. The clutch remains so engaged during the next return movement of the die carrier and the following advance of the die carrier, during which the coated strips are fed in the normal way by the action of rack bar 93.

The strip-feed-omitting mechanism will of course operate any number of times successively corresponding to any number of successive skips in the sheet feed, as will sufiiciently be understood from the preceding description of a single strip-feed-skip action.

WVhile we have above described the invention in detail as adapted to a press of a particular type, and also adapted to a particular type of impression contact controlling mechanism, and as also adapted to an arrangement in which the strips are fed during advance movement of the die carrier, it should be understood that in its broader aspects the invention is not limited to these specific arrangements'or embodiments but that the invention structure may be modified or adapted in various specific ways.

Lever 48, may at any time he moved by hand to cause omission ofan impression and at the same time to cause omission of the strip feed.

The invention is therefore adaptable to machines in which there is no sheet feed mechanism and no automatic detector to cause automatic actuation of the impression and strip feed controllii'ig mechanism.

We claim:

1. In an impression press comprising a platen, a die carrier, sheet feed mechanism, strip feed mechanism, and a detector actuated by failure to feed a sheet, means for interrupting the action of the strip feed mechaism upon such acuation of the detector.

2. In an impression press comprising a platen, a die carrier, sheet feed mechanism, strip feed mechanism, and a detector actuated by failure to feed a sheet, and means under control of the detector to prevent impression contact, means acting upon omission of impression contact to produce an omission of the strip feed action.

3. An impression press comprising a platen, a die carrier, means for moving the die carrier in relation to the platen to impress aninterposed coated strip upon a sheet located on the platen, means for advancing said coated strip, means for feeding sheets successively to the platen, a detector actuated by the sheet feed mechanism, and means under control of the detector for causing an omission of the strip feed action.

4. An impression press comprising a laten a die carrier means for movin the. 7 7 2'! control. of the detector for preventing an im- I means for feeding sheets successively to the platen, said means including a movable suction head, means actuated by pressure varia tion in the suction head to control the die carrier movement and prevent an impression contact with the platen, means for advancing'a coated strip over a die on the die carrier, said means including a releasable clutch, and means acting upon an omission of an impression contact to withdraw the clutch and interrupt the strip feed.

6. An impression press comprising a swinging platen, an oscillating die carrier, means for feeding sheets successively to the platen, said means including a movable suction head, means actuated by pressure variation in the suction head to control the die carrier movement and prevent an impression contact with the platen, means for advancing a coated strip over a die on the die carrier, said means including a releasable clutch, and means acting upon an omission of an impression-contact to withdraw the clutch and retain it in disengaged position to prevent strip feed during enusing movement of the die carrier.

7 An impression press comprising a swinging platen, an oscillating die carrier, means for feeding sheets successively to the platen, said means including a movable suction head, means actuated by pressure varia tion in the suction head to control the die car rier movement and prevent an impression contact with the platen, means for advancing a coated strip over a die on the die carrier, said means including a releasable clutch, and

means acting upon an omission of an impression contact to withdraw the clutch and retain it in disengaged position to prevent strip feed during ensuing movement of the die carrier, and means acting at the end of said ensuing die-carrier movement to cause reengagement of the clutch.

8. An impression press comprising a swinging platen, an oscillating die carrier,

sheet feed mechanism for feeding sheets suc cessively to the platen, strip feed mechanism on the die carrier, a detector actuated by failure to feed a sheet, and means for interrupting action of the strip feed mechanism upon such actuation of the detector.

9. An impression press comprising a swinging platen, an oscillating die carrier, sheet feed mechanism for feeding sheets successively to the platen, strip feed mechanism on the die carrier, a detector actuated by failure to feed a sheet, means under control of the detector to limit movement of the die carrier and prevent an impression contact,

and means acting thereupon also to interrupt the action of the strip feed mechanism.

10. A press comprising a swinging platen, means for feeding sheets successively thereto, an oscillating die carrier, a shaft revoluble therein and having an eccentric member, a

drive shaft having a crank, a pitman connect-- ing the eccentric member and the crank, means acting automatically under control of the sheet-feed mechanism to adjust the eccentric shaft to cause or prevent impression contact of the die carrier with the platen, strip feed mechanism on the die carrier for advancing a coated strip over a die, and means acting when said'eccentric shaft adjusting means is operated to prevent an impression contact, to interrupt the strip feed.

11. A press comprising a swinging platen, means for feeding sheets successively thereto, an oscillating die carrier, a shaft revoluble therein and having an eccentric member, a drive shaft having a crank, a pitman connecting the eccentric member and the crank, means acting automatically under control of the sheet-feed mechanism to adjust the eccentric shaft to cause or prevent impression contact of the die carrier with the platen, strip feed mechanism on the die carrier for advancing a coated strip over a die, a clutch interposed in said feed mechanism, and a connection between said clutch and said eccentric adjustment means whereby when the latter is positioned to avoid impression contact the clutch is withdrawn and a strip feed action is omitted.

12. A press comprising aswinging platen, means for feeding sheets successively thereto, an oscillating die carrier, a shaft revoluble therein and having an eccentric member, a drive shaft having a crank, a pitman connecting the eccentric member and the crank, means acting automatically under control of the sheet-feed mechanism to adjust the eccentric shaft to cause or prevent impression contact of the die carrier with the platen, strip feed mechanism on the die carrier for advancing a coated strip over a die, a clutch interposed in said feed mechanism, and a connection between said clutch and said eccentric adjustment means whereby the latter is positioned, a detent to retain the clutch in disengaged position, and means acting in a subsequent advance movement of the die carrier to retract the detent.

13. A press comprising a swinging platen,

means for feeding sheets successively thereto,

an oscillating die carrier, a shaft revoluble therein and having an eccentric member, a drive shaft having a crank, a pitman connecting the eccentric member and the crank, means acting automatically under control of the sheet-feed mechanism to adjust the eccentric shaft to cause or prevent impression contact of the die carrier with the platen, strip feed mechanism on the die carrier for advancing a coated strip over a die, a clutch in terposed in said feed mechanism, a cam carried by the eccentric shaft and acting to withdraw the clutch during an advance movement of the die carrier when the eccentric shaft adjusting means is positioned to prevent an impression contact. 7

14. A press comprising a swinging platen, means for feeding sheets successively thereto, an oscillating die carrier, a shaft revoluble therein and having an eccentric member, a drive shaft having a crank, a pitman connecting the eccentric member and the crank, means acting automatically under control of the sheet-feed mechanism to adjust the eccentric shaft to cause or prevent impression contact of the die carrier with the platen, strip feed mechanism on the die carrier for advancing a coated strip over a die, a clutch interposed in said feed mechanism, a cam carried by the eccentric shaft and acting to withdraw the clutch during an advance movement of the die carrier when the eccentric shaft adjusting means is positioned to prevent an impression contact, a detent to hold the clutch in retracted position, and a stop on the platen arranged to cooperate with the detent and cause reengagement of the clutch at the end of the subsequent movement of the die carrier.

15. A press comprising a platen, a die carrier, sheet feed mechanism, strip feed mechanism, means for oscillating the die carrier, means for controlling the effective stroke of the die carrier to produce or prevent impression contacts with the platen, means for arbitrarily positioning said stroke controlling means, means under control of the sheet feed mechanism for automatically positioning said stroke controlling means, and means acting when said stroke controlling means is positioned to avoid an impression contact, to

interrupt the strip feed.

16. A press comprising a swinging platen, means for feeding successive sheets thereto,"

an oscillating die carrier, a shaft revoluble therein and having an eccentric, a rotary drive shaft having a crank, a pitman connecting the crank and the eccentric, a lever and a linkage operated by the lever to position the cocentric shaft and thereby produce or prevent an impression contact with the die carrier at any time Within the machine cycle, means acting automatically upon a skip in the sheet feed action to position the lever linkage for prevention of an impression contact, strip feed mechanism on the die carrier, means actuated by movement of the die carrier to feed the strip, a clutch in the strip feed mechanism, and means acting when said linkage is positioned to prevent an impression contact, to withdraw the clutch and interrupt the strip feed action.

17. In an impression press comprising a platen, a die carrier, means for reciprocating thedie carrier and platen relatively to produce impression contacts, means for controlling such movement to cause omission of an impression contact, strip feed mechanism, and means for interrupting action of the strip feed mechanism actuated by said controlling means when said controlling means is actuated to avoid an impression contact.

18. A press comprising a platen, a die carrier, means for reciprocating the die carrier in relation to the platen to impress an interposed coated strip upon a sheet located on the platen, means for advancing said coated strip, means for limiting the relative approach of the die carrier and platen to avoid an impression contact, and means interconnected with and responsive to said limiting means to control the strip advancing means.

19. A press comprising a platen, a die carrier, means for moving them relatively to ward and from each other and acting normally to produce an impression contact at each approach of the platen and die carrier, means for advancing a coated strip interposed between a die on the carrier and the laten said means includin a normall -engaged clutch whereby the strip is advanced once for each relative approach of the die carrier and platen, controllable means for avoiding an impression contact, and means acting Whenever said controllable means is positioned to avoid an impression contact, to withdraw said clutch and cause omission of a strip-feed action.

In testimony whereof we have signed this specification this 27th day of June, 1927.

BERNARD R. SCHNEIDER. ARTHUR M. WICKWIRE, J R. 

